Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for UNH Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised UnitedHealth’s Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $3.66 from $3.61 and maintained a “Strong Buy” rating. Full-year 2026 consensus earnings are $19.71 per share.
• UnitedHealth’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $6.38 versus a $4.94 consensus and revenue of $112.03 billion. Management maintained its 2026 EPS guidance of $19.50–$20.00, supporting the company’s turnaround outlook.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $455.92 price target. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $2.32, or $9.28 annually, yielding approximately 2.2%.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report issued on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the healthcare conglomerate will earn $3.66 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $3.61. Zacks Research has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group's current full-year earnings is $19.71 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for UnitedHealth Group's Q4 2026 earnings at $2.25 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $7.05 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $4.81 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $4.12 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $6.78 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $5.84 EPS.

UNH has been the subject of several other research reports. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Leerink Partners increased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $400.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $340.00 to $373.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $455.92.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of UNH stock opened at $421.48 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $382.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.62. UnitedHealth Group has a fifty-two week low of $234.60 and a fifty-two week high of $461.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $410.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $347.79.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $1.44. The company had revenue of $112.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.81 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 3.14%.UnitedHealth Group's revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.08 EPS. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.500-20.000 EPS.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $2.32 dividend. This represents a $9.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.21. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.72%.

Institutional Trading of UnitedHealth Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 150,773 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $49,772,000 after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,287.2% in the 1st quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. now owns 60,022 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $16,241,000 after purchasing an additional 55,695 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,600,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $30,238,162,000 after buying an additional 995,210 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 102,260 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $33,757,000 after acquiring an additional 8,226 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 106.6% during the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 32,375 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $10,687,000 after acquiring an additional 16,703 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UnitedHealth reported second-quarter revenue of $112.03 billion and adjusted EPS of $6.38, well above the $4.94 consensus estimate. Management also maintained 2026 EPS guidance of $19.50–$20.00, reinforcing expectations that profitability is recovering. UnitedHealth Just Gave Wall Street a Clearer Turnaround Signal
• Positive Sentiment: Improved margins and a lower medical cost ratio indicate that UnitedHealth’s cost-control initiatives are gaining traction after the company’s difficult 2025 performance. Continued share repurchases and a higher earnings outlook add support to the investment case. UnitedHealth's Cost-Control Story is Gaining Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment has improved: Erste Group raised its 2026 EPS estimate to $19.85 from $18.33 and its 2027 estimate to $22.44 from $20.87, retaining a Buy rating. Another valuation update lifted fair value to $475.23 from $424.23, citing Q2 performance and better Medicare Advantage and Optum Health assumptions. UnitedHealth Group Stock Sees Fair Value Lift
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerages currently give UNH a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, suggesting constructive—but not unanimous—expectations for the recovery. UnitedHealth Given Moderate Buy Recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: Investors still face risks from commercial-insurance trends, Medicaid performance, regulatory scrutiny and elevated medical costs, including expenses related to surprise-billing dispute resolutions. These issues could limit the pace of the turnaround.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company's benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.

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